Silas placed his left hand on the other side of the pedestal as Julian had instructed. It began to vibrate under his grip, and the floor beneath them shook.
The radiant light of Marenon’s Map vanished into a stream that flowed to each of the medallion’s jewels. After a minute, the streams were spent and the jewels glowed at the center, casting a shimmering rainbow of colors all along the room’s walls. The lights shined from the medallion’s centers, on and off, one at a time. Somehow the medallions created a sound like a beating timpani that seemed to be synchronized to the rhythm of Silas’ heartbeat.
The magic was testing the Human standing before it and Silas was deemed worthy.
The rivers of light that had flowed into the medallions now shot into his eyes, blinding him with a white-hot illumination.
He tried to scream out, but the magic held on to him, paralyzing him as it held him suspended in the air. He had no control over his movements, but he could feel that something very powerful had entered his body.
He lost all sense of anyone present in the room. In fact, he had lost all sense of the room itself. Time seemed to stop as the pounding ceased and his vision returned, though he did not see a room full of onlookers. He was alone.
Silas felt a serenity he had lacked throughout his entire life in Marenon and even on Earth. He looked at his hands and his feet. Both were bare. A white robe that felt softer than silk covered him.
He was standing, though he saw no ground beneath his toes, nor did he feel a surface under his feet.
He had only ever felt this kind of weightless absence from the body when he had died on Earth, only this time he wasn’t staring at a bleeding body surrounded by Stühocs.
Am I dead?
“No,” a voice sounded from behind him. “You are not dead.” The being had appeared out of thin air, wearing the same white robe that Silas now wore. The face shined behind a mask of blurred magic. It looked like the same apparition that the Gatekeeper had left for him on more than one occasion, but the voice was different.
“Are you Silandrin’s apparition?” Silas asked. “You’re one of them anyway. I’ve seen your kind before.”
“I am not, Master Gatekeeper. I am your apparition.”
“Mine?”
“A servant. A tool to be used as you see fit. As long as you live, you have a limitless supply of apparitions like me. In essence, I am you, or at least part of who you are.”
“So you carry no message for me?” Silas asked.
“Actually I do. Though I am your servant, I was placed here by Silandrin to encourage you. After this moment, you are to become the most powerful being in all of Marenon. You must now destroy the gates and make your people a true part of this world.”
“I’m afraid,” Silas said, looking down at his feet.
“A person with any wisdom would be. Prophecies are not fulfilled by the fearless.”
“How do I move forward?”
“You move as you have been instructed, and do whatever you deem to be the best course of action.”
“That tells me nothing.”
“I wasn’t sent here to tell you what to do. You already know what to do.”
“Destroy the gates, then it’s all over,” Silas said.
“No. Destroy the gates then take your place as Watchman over Marenon.”
Silas had nearly forgotten about the title of Watchman. Silandrin had told him that before there were gates, before there were Stühocs or even Humans, he hadn’t been the Gatekeeper, he had been the Watchman, the protector over Marenon. But with the creation of the gates, he had come to be known as the Gatekeeper.
If all went according to plan, Silas would become the Keeper of all three gates, destroy them, then take his place as Watchman to protect and guide Marenon for thousands of years to come. But only if he wasn’t killed first.
“If you’re my apparition, then how did Silandrin send you to me?”
“You have met the Gatekeeper, Silandrin, in the past, have you not?”
The only time had been when Silas was a baby – when his grandfather Garland took Silas through the Blue Gate to Earth.
“When he first met you, Silandrin used your spirit to create me and placed me in the pedestal as a message to you. Now you possess the power to use my likeness to speak with whom you wish.”
“I don’t feel much different,” Silas said. “I don’t feel all-powerful.”
“Many changes are coming to you, Silas. Embrace them. Learn to use your new abilities and you will be a great Watchman.”
Neither of them said it, but Silas knew this was the end of their conversation. What more could be said? He turned from his apparition. He knew when he went back to the others that time would not have passed for them.
Silas delayed a long moment. He felt like he needed to collect his thoughts, but in truth, his mind was clear. There were no more questions, no more answers to be found. It was time to take action.
“I’m ready,” he finally said.
“Then I have fulfilled my duty to you. Thank you, Gatekeeper. May magic always serve you for the betterment of Marenon.”
The next sensation Silas had was falling heavily to the floor. Inga and Kaden instantly rushed to his side.
“Did it work?” they asked him.
Silas didn’t answer, but he saw the look of horror on Julian’s face. The group followed his line of sight and saw the pedestal behind them – or what was left of the pedestal. The medallions lay in the crumbled remains of what once stood as the source of power for Marenon’s Map.
Julian walked to the pile of rocks and knelt beside it. “The weapon is gone,” he muttered. “How are we supposed to fight without the weapon?”
“We have Silas,” Kaden said.
“But using the weapon was the plan from the beginning,” Julian argued. “Now we don’t have the Map’s power to take on the rest of the Stühocs and Nestorians.”
“That’s no longer your concern,” Darius snapped from the other side of the room. “I want Julian placed under arrest.”
Kaden held up a hand. “Let’s not be so hasty.”
“Hasty? Do you remember what this man did to us? What he tried to do to me?”
Kaden sighed and looked from Julian to Silas, and back to Julian.
Silas wasn’t sure what was to be done in this situation. He had just undergone the most surreal transformation imaginable, and the anger of Darius Umar was far from his mind.
Kaden decided to let the guards take Julian to the outside jail cells located near the northern end of Jekyll Rock. Julian didn’t protest, but walked quietly with the guards. When he was gone, Kaden, Inga and Darius focused all their attention on Silas.
“What happens next, Silas?” Kaden asked.
Silas took one look at Inga and nodded. She had been there when the Gatekeeper had given him his instructions. A grin formed at the side of her mouth when she gripped his hand. He knew she could feel the new energy that pulsed through his veins. He was the Gatekeeper now. He had a new responsibility.
“Next, we destroy the Blue and Green Gates,” Silas answered. “Then we attack Mudavé.”
Chapter Fourteen
It was the middle of the night, and only a few hours until daybreak, but Kaden had insisted that Silas get some rest. Silas knew he needed it, so he didn’t object.
For the first time in months, Silas found himself alone. The room felt cold, empty and much too large for one person. A bed sat across the room waiting for him, but he didn’t go to it at first. He set his staff on the ground and wrapped his cloak around him tightly and sat cross-legged only a few feet in front of the empty fireplace.
He was now the Gatekeeper and supposedly had some newfound power, but what could he do? What did it mean? He placed a hand out in front of him. With barely a thought, Silas conjured flames in the once-empty fireplace.
The magic is the fuel, Silas thought.
For a few minutes, he experimented with the size of the flame, and even
the color. To Silas’ delight, the glow of the room changed. Blue, violet, black, and yellow. Silas found that many of the colors had different temperatures, with green surprisingly being the hottest of any of them.
Silas jumped when he heard someone knocking at his door. He turned to the fire and set the flame at a cool orange and red, then walked to the door. He opened it just a crack, but swung it wider when he saw that it was Inga. His heart nearly leaped into his throat.
“Inga, come in.”
“Sorry if I woke you,” she said.
“No, not at all. I haven’t even gone to bed yet.”
“Are you sure it’s all right that I’m here?”
“Of course. Is anything wrong?”
“No,” she said as she walked past him. “I just wanted to see how you were.”
She lowered the hood of her cloak and untied it at the neck, letting it drop to the floor. Although she was still wearing the clothes she had been traveling in since she had come into Jekyll Rock, Silas still couldn’t help but admire her beauty.
Her long black hair fell wildly past her shoulders, and her full lips remained half-opened as though she wanted to say something more, but her voice just wouldn’t let out any sound. Her green eyes bore into him as though she were studying some rare artifact unseen by anyone before.
Silas walked to her slowly and held both her arms with his hands. He could feel her start to tremble.
A single tear rolled down the side of her face. Then another, and another. Silas pressed her against him and held his left arm around her waist while his other hand held her head as she whimpered softly on his shoulder.
No words were needed. Both of them had been through so much, yet they had been afforded little time to let their emotions show. Now Inga finally had the chance to break down.
Not only had she nearly been killed on several occasions, but she had also ultimately lost the one parent-figure she had known for most of her life. Silandrin had been more than a father to her. He was a mentor, a teacher, and a friend. They had both seen him sacrifice himself to destroy the Sleeper, Theron. As much as they hated to see him gone, they knew it was a sacrifice that he had to make. Silandrin had to die before Silas could carry on with his mission.
Inga wrapped her arms firmly around Silas’ waist and didn’t let go. He had only known her for three months, but he loved her so much. He felt closer to her than anyone he had ever known. But she had never told him the same. She had never uttered the words ‘I love you’ to Silas.
They sat on the bed and Silas wiped the tears from her face, only to find them quickly replaced by more.
“Silandrin said you could die too,” she said.
This was a haunting revelation that had not escaped Silas’ mind since their conversation with Silandrin. But they could not let it dictate their actions.
“Inga, I’m not going to die. There’s too much for me to do.”
“Anithistor is very powerful.”
“And so am I, now.”
“Yes, but you haven’t had your abilities for thousands of years. Just because you have been given great power doesn’t mean you are the master of it.”
“Sounds like you’re predicting who’s going to win.” Silas knew he shouldn’t have said the words as soon as they came out, but Inga accepted them with grace.
“You just have to be careful. You may be the Gatekeeper now, but I’ve seen what can happen when people receive a lot of power without training. The magic can consume your mind. Bad things can happen.”
“And that’s why Silandrin told us that I’ll need you. You’re here to help me keep it under control.”
Inga nodded and pulled her legs onto the bed and drew Silas in behind her as she lay on her side facing the fire. His hand rested on her waist as they lay close to one another, content to stay in that position forever.
He lifted his hand and the flame in the fireplace dimmed to an even deeper red hue.
“For some reason, green is the hottest,” she said. “Silandrin could melt rock with green fire.”
Silas wasn’t sure when he closed his eyes, but the two of them didn’t stir until nearly an hour after daybreak.
When they climbed off the bed, Inga reached to the ground, took her cloak and kissed Silas softly on the cheek before they left.
There was much to be done now, but Silas had no idea where to start. After wandering through the stronghold for a few minutes, Dublin had found them and made them sit down for a large breakfast. Midway through the meal, Kaden approached the table to let them know of something happening at the north end of the city. Everyone was gathering to hear from the Meshulan.
“They all want to hear from the man that saved them,” Kaden said.
“And that man sits in a Dunarian prison cell,” Silas answered back.
Kaden nodded. “I know. But my hands are tied. He’s responsible for killing most of the council. What can I do?”
“Would the situation be dealt with differently if this had been done by any king other than Julian?” Silas asked.
“What do you mean?”
“Simply that if he were Morgan or Ruben Hobbes, would he have been treated differently? I feel like there is a deeper animosity here that goes beyond what Julian did. Perhaps Darius and Julian didn’t get along when he was on the council?”
Kaden shrugged. “Julian was controversial, but I see your point. Since he was once one of us, perhaps Darius finds it easier to punish him.”
“He is the king, not some common criminal,” Silas added.
“And he has no ill intention,” Inga said. “I’ve seen him when he didn’t know I was listening. He only wants to defeat our enemies.”
“You’re trying to convince someone who already agrees with you,” Kaden sighed. “I think Julian has been foolish, and his mistake was perilous, but we can’t just forget what he did to save us last night.” He reached for a cup and took a sip of something and swallowed hard, staring at Silas with contemplative eyes.
“Many Dunarians have no idea what Julian did to the council members, but it won’t take long for them to figure it out,” Kaden continued. “Personally, I think he should be made to face the consequences of his actions. But I also know that we need him alive. We must have his army. The people of Jekyll Rock should ultimately decide what happens to Julian, but they will listen to their Meshulan.”
“You think so?”
“I do. You are their hero.”
“More like their mascot.”
“Not true,” Kaden said sternly. “You now possess the power to finish The Reckoning, but you know as well as I that you can’t do it alone. You need a big army. That will include armies from the Erellen king and the Human king. You can rally support for Julian before word gets out about what he did. I know him well. He’ll reciprocate with his army from Farlaweer.”
“And the Erellens?” Silas asked. “They aren’t going to be happy that we have their medallion and plan to destroy their gate.”
“Well,” Inga said, “they can blame their prince for giving up the medallion. Daewyn led us to it willingly.”
Kaden smiled widely. “Silas, you not only have a new magical power, but also the title that people will follow. Even if kings want nothing to do with you, the people will be inspired by you. They’ve been waiting for you for so long.”
Kaden was right. Silas would go straight to the ones he was born to deliver. The people had grown tired of waiting for him and now he was ready to make good on a prophecy despite how misleading it had been.
Kaden led them to a balcony to point out where the citizens had gathered near the north wall, waiting to hear from Silas.
“They want you,” Kaden said. “They are ready for their Deliverer.”
The three of them walked through the city and to the north side where everyone was waiting patiently. At the first sight of Silas, the crowd began to cheer and clap as some added whistles and shouts to the mix.
Silas could feel their eyes watching him.
How could he let them know that he had barely done anything to help them? They only cheered for him because he was the Meshulan, not because of what they had seen him do in battle.
The crowd’s applause continued until Silas stood alone at the top of the wall, then a heavy silence fell over them. What was there to tell them? What did they want to hear? The future was so uncertain for all of them.
Silas looked down toward the front of the crowd to see Lorcan standing next to Inga, giving her a long embrace. It had probably felt like a lifetime since they had seen each other. Nalani, Alric and Coffman stood near them, as well as Dink and Emma. Kaden stood off to Silas’ left and nodded with encouragement.
Silas’ hands began to shake, and he gripped the staff of Uriah to steady himself. For a brief second he closed his eyes, letting his new magic calm his nerves. Like a drug, the relief flooded through his veins, and he smiled, not believing how easy it was.
With the realization that he had no more to fear, he began to laugh. As he laughed, he held out his hands and let out a blast of light that sparkled through the air like fireworks. The crowd’s cheers instantly erupted again at the sight of their beloved Deliverer.
“Dunarians!” Silas said, using his magic to amplify his voice. “Today we have shown the enemy that we are no small nuisance. We have shown them that we cannot be defeated so easily.
This caused the crowd to shout out again.
“Now it’s time we show Anithistor and his pitiful army that they aren’t welcome here in Marenon. They never have been and never will be!”
The crowd’s chanting sounded out in a rhythmic pattern. “Silas…Silas…Silas…”
He held up his hands to try and hush the crowd, but they could not be dissuaded. The looks on their faces reflected pure joy, even though their city lay in ruins and the dead lay scattered throughout. Eventually they calmed, and Silas continued.
“As the Meshulan, I want to be honest with you. First, you must know that it was not I that rescued you last night. I was here in battle with the rest of you, but we only had the orange medallion below Jekyll Rock. It was King Julian Hobbes that used Marenon’s Map to save us.”
The Marenon Chronicles Collection Page 68